Staff Column: Rantings and Ravings

Just over a week ago I was honored to spend the weekend amidst a very dynamic group of women from across five states. The Rocky Mountain Region of Soroptimist International held their annual spring conference here in Price.

It has been over 20 years since we were able to host the event and our local club put a year of hard work trying to pull this together.

Since our local community has supported the Price Soroptimist Club in our fund raising efforts to better the lives of women and girls in our community, we wanted to use the conference to give back.

On Friday night we invited the local merchants to stay open until eight and we asked our conference participants to go out to dine and shop on the town. The weather did not cooperate with us, but many ladies braved the brutal wind and cold and hit the shops on main street.

We always worry how our little community is seen through the eyes of outsiders. At times it seems like the media upstate only manage to showcase us in our worst times. But throughout our conference our town and community stepped up and threw out a welcome mat that left our visitors speechless.

When they did find the words to express their feelings, there were words of high praise for everything they encountered. From the store owners and the dining experiences to the mayor's welcome and the Carbon High Vocal Jazz singing group, it was nothing but positive.

The staff and management at the Greenwell Convention Center bent over backwards to make the event a success. Many of the staff including Christie Krompel were there from 6 a.m. to well after 11 p.m. to deal with all the conference needs.

Our own club member put in countless hours and money to put on a tremendous event. Each one who was part of the conferences various committees went above and beyond anything that was expected of them.

As conference co-chair, I get to be graced with the praise from the participants as they offer feedback on the event. I was only a small piece of the huge success that this event was. The credit goes to our Soroptimist club and the town for everything.

Why am I writing about this? Because we don't always get to know how visitors see us. Many times we only hear about the complaints and troubles.

As the weekend drew to a close, quite a few Soroptimists talked with me about coming back to stay and explore the area for a few days. They had never in their wildest dreams thought about it before and were now excited to stay and visit Nine Mile, the Dinosaur Quarry and the local museums.

I know we are not the only conference group that has gotten the red carpet treatment from the town; I would bet its actually the normal way our town rises up to do business daily.

I still want to thank the Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Business Alliance group. Thank-you to Price Mayor Joe Piccolo and all the businesses who welcomed our group with open arms. Also thanks to the Greenwell and staff whose tireless efforts made a big difference.

Finally I am ever grateful to the wonderful women who dedicate their time to be part of the Price Soroptimist Club. Your efforts even beyond this conference make an impact in the lives of women and girls every day.